Apparatus for traversing yarn



July 23, 1968 w. H. OBRIEN 3,393,879

APPARATUS FOR TRAVERSING YARN Filed Oct. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I WA . ATTORNEYS July 23, 1968 w, OBRIEN 3,393,879

APPARATUS FOR TRAVERSING YARN Filed Oct. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7

INVENiIOR. WILLIAM H. O BRIEN United States Patent Ofice 3,393,879 APPARATUS FOR TRAVERSING YARN William H. OBrien, Warwick, R.I., assignor to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R.I., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Oct. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 588,413 4 Claims. (Cl. 24218.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A traverse roll for winding yarn packages. The roll effectively prevents the formation of ridges at the ends of the yarn package and bands of yarn in the package (commonly called ribboning). The provision of an outwardly diverging frusto-conical surface at one or both ends of the roll effectively prevents the formation of ridges at the package end, and one or more rings around the roll effectively prevents sloughing of the yarn. Provision is made for shifting the roll axially to and fro during winding to eliminate ribboning.

This invention relates to winding machines and relates, more particularly, to a novel traverse roll of improved design for use with said winding machines.

In the following specification and claims, the term yarn is employed in a general sense to apply to all kinds of strand material, either textile or otherwise, and the designation package is intended to mean the product of a winding or twisting machine whatever its form.

In the specification and in the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown and described in connection with the winding of a conical yarn package, although it is to be understood that the invention may advantageously be adapted and employed for the winding of generally cylindrical yarn packages as Well.

It is often desirable that yarn packages, especially those subject to redraw operations at high, intermittent speeds, possess a substantially fiat profile throughout. Packages Wound in the conventional manner have not been entirely satisfactory for such operations in that they are often formed with high ridges in the end regions thereof resulting from the continued overlaying thereat of yarn as it reverses winding direction. When redravw'ng yarn from such packages, those ridges in the nose regions of the package extend into the path of the unwinding yarn thus presenting a friction surface to the advancing yarn. Such a condition prevents the smooth withdrawal of yarn from the package and invites yarn breakage.

Further, when redrawing from packages having high ridges in the end regions, the yarn has a marked tendency to shell or roll off the ridges towards the more central regions of the package. In this instance, the yarn hangs loosely onthe package so that a desirable amount of tension in the unwinding yarn is not maintained thereby resulting in sloughs and snarls, and eventually, yarn breakage.

Another difficulty with conventionally wound packages resides in the undesirable formation across the winding surface of bands of yarn or ribbons which develop when the yarn coils are crowded together or piled in contiguous relationship. This condition is known as ribboning and occurs when the circumference of the winding package bears a simple numerical relationship to the circumference of the traverse roll such that the winding yarn tends to follow the same path onto the roll in the course of successive rotations thereof. The bands or ribbons continue to be formed until such time that the package grows to a size at which its circumference no longer bears a simple numerical relationship to the circumference of the traverse roll. Ribbons are undesir- 3,393,879 Patented July 23, 1968 able in that they too cause the yarn to slough upon redrawing.

The inventionprovides a traverse roll operable to wind improved yarn packages which will avoid the aforementioned difiiculties. At least one end of the instant traverse roll in the region of yarn reversal is formed with an inverse conical taper. With the Winding package rolling in surfa-ce-to-surface contact on the traverse roll, the package assumes the mirrored shape of said roll, whereby the ridged end region is prevented. Another embodiment of the present invention includes the formation of one or more circular rings about the peripheral surface of the traverse roll and integral therewith. The rings serve to bear into the package surface during winding so as to create pressure points in the yarn. This design has been found to alleviate the tendency of the yarn to become prematurely loosened from the surface of the package and to shell therefrom during a subsequent redraw operation. In another embodiment of the invention, means are provided for axially shifting the traverse roll having at least one end formed with an inverse conical taper. When the traverse roll is so shifted, it causes the package to ride up higher onto the tapered zone or ride down therefrom thereby altering the synchronism between roll and package, and reducing or eliminating the formation of ribbons.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel traverse roll which is operable to wind an improved yarn package.

It is another object to provide a novel traverse roll operable to wind a yarn package suitable for use as the source of supply in a high speed, intermittent redraw operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a rotary traverse roll capable of Winding a yarn package having a substantially flat profile across the surface thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a traverse roll having at least one end formed with an inverse conical taper in the region of yarn reversal.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a traverse roll having at least one circular ring formed about the peripheral surface of the traverse roll.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus operable to disrupt the synchronism between traverse roll and package and thereby reduce or eliminate the formation of ribbons.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a traverse roll having at least one end formed with an inverse conical taper, and means for periodically shifting the roll relative to a package winding thereon in surfa-ce-to-surface contact.

Other and further objects will be obvious or will appear hereinafter in the description and in the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the new and improved traverse roll guiding yarn onto a package which is being driven in surface-to-surface engagement therewith;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view in redraw orientation of a typical package wound on the novel traverse roll;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of another embodiment of the traverse roll;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view in redraw orientation of a typical package wound on the modified traverse roll shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation schematically illustrating a mechanism to axially shift the traverse roll shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. to illustrate the splined connection between the traverse roll shaft and the drive shaft of a winding machine employing the mechanism of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of yet another embodiment of the traverse roll; and

FIG. 8 is a view of a package wound with the traverse roll of FIG. 7.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 is illustrative of the unique traverse roll disclosed herein which is designated by reference numeral 10. On its periphery, the traverse roll 10 is provided with a conventional endless groove 12 which is adapted to engage and direct a strand of yarn to the package 14 rotating in surface-to-surface engagement thereon, said strand being traversed back and forth lengthwise of the package and onto the surface thereof. Formed at the ends of the traverse roll 10 within the confines of the groove 12 and in the region of yarn reversal are a pair of conical zones 16 having an inverse taper, that is, the diameter of the cylindrical traverse roll 10 increases as the ends thereof are approached. It will be appreciated that although FIG. 1 illustrates a roll having conical zones 16 at both ends, it may be desirable to provide a roll having a conical zone at only one or the other end thereof. The conical zones 16 may be formed integral with the traverse roll 10, or may be separate elements afiixed to said traverse roll.

FIG. 2 illustrates a package 14 which has been wound on traverse roll 10. During the winding operation (see FIG. 1), the pressure on package 14 at the zones 16 of the traverse roll 10 slightly compresses or compacts the yarn at regions 18 of the package at which yarn reversal occurs, over that existing in the remainder of the package. This results in the periphery of package 14 in the area of regions 18 having greater conicity than the remainder of the package. Thus, it can be seen that yarn Y being withdrawn from package 14 through eyelet 22 is subjected to virtually no resistance as it crosses the flattened regions 18 with a resulting smooth redraw operation. Furthermore, in the absence of high ridges 17 at the ends of the package (as shown in phantom in FIG. 2) which are precluded by the present invention, all layers of yarn across the surface of the package are firmly held in place and there is substantially no tendency of the yarn to become loosened from the ends of package 14. Thus, with the improved package shown in FIG. 2, yarn tension is maintain throughout the redraw operation and the difficulties of conventional packages are avoided.

A modification of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 3 wherein a traverse roll provided with the customary yarn guiding groove 32 is further formed with circular rings 34 on the surface thereof. The number of rings formed on traverse roll 30 is arbitrary, there may be as many or as few as desired. The rings 34 serve to bear into the surface of the winding package so as to create points of pressure in the wound yarn so that the yarn is slightly compressed or compacted at these points over that existing in the remainder of the package. If such localized pressure is applied to the yarn at one or more locations across the package surface, it has been found that the yarn more readily tends to remain firmly in place during unwinding. Thus, undesirable sloughing of yarn wraps is precluded with the companion advantage the yarn tension is maintained at a desired value. FIG. 4 is illustrative of a package, denoted by numeral 36, which has been wound on traverse roll 30 so as to form a plurality of concave rings or paths 37 about the periphery thereof. Even with the presence of high ridges 38 at the ends of package 36, the tendency of a strand of yarn Y to balloon outwardly therefrom as it is drawn through eyelet 41 is substantially reduced. Of course, it is possible, and may even be desirable, to combine the salient features of traverse rolls 10 and 30 in order to arrive at a package which would be a combined improvement of both regions 18 of package 14 and the concave rings 37 of package 36 and in FIG. 7 a traverse roll 39 is illustrated wherein the aforementioned features are combined. Thus, traverse roll 39 is provided with both the zones 16 at the opposite ends of the traverse and the spaced rings 34 on the periphery of the traverse. In FIG. 8 a package 43 is illustrated which has been wound on traverse roll 39. It is seen that package 43 the high ridges 38 have been flattened to yield regions 18 which are similar to the regions 18 of the earlier described packages. Also, package 43 incorporates the rings 37 around the package as a result of the presence of rings 34 on the traverse roll 39.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in FIG. 5 wherein the traverse roll 10 is illustrated as driving package 14 in the manner of FIG. 1. Shaft 40 which rotatably supports traverse roll 10 is connected to drive shaft 42 of the winding machine in any suitable manner which will assure positive rotation of said traverse roll while yet permitting axial shifting thereof. One such construction is illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein the coupling between the two shafts is accomplished by means of splines 44.

A motor M is seen to drive a cam 46 through a conventional gear reducer unit 48. A follower (not shown) on one end of arm 50 rides in the slot 52 of cam 46. The opposite end of arm 50 is integral with a sleeve 54 fixed to traverse roll shaft 40. It will be apparent that rotation of cam 46, through follower 50 and shaft 40, serves to shift traverse roll 10 axially first in one direction, then in the other direction. Motor M is preferably of the variable speed type, its speed being governed by a control device 56 of known design. When the traverse roll 10 is shifted, the drive point which for conical package 14 is preferably in region 18 at the base end thereof is moved either up or down the slope of conical zones 16 formed in traverse roll 10. This has the effect of altering the ratio of diameters of package 14 to traverse roll and thus of interrupting the synchronism therebetween, the ultimate result being a disruption in the formation of ribbons. This shifting of traverse roll 10 may be an intermittent motion or continuous. Such variations may be performed by means of control device 56. It may be desirable to employ the circular rings 34 of traverse roll 30 in combination with traverse roll 10 when employing the mechanism for shifting the latter, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In this manner, the benefits of all of the teachings of this invention will be realized.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein concerned, it is intended that all matters contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as being illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for traversing yarn onto a winding package comprising, a cylindrical member, means for rotating said member, said member having a surface adapted to receive said package thereon for rotation therewith, said surface having a groove formed therein for engaging an advancing strand of yarn and traversing it axially onto said package, said groove including reversing portions at its opposite ends for reversing the direction of yarn traverse, and means formed on the surface of said member for compressing the yarn in at least one confined zone of said package and including at least one ring, said ring being of a greater diameter than the surface of said member and disposed intermediate the reversing portions of said groove.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for compressing said yarn further includes at least one tapered portion on the surface of said member, said 3,393,379 5 6 tapered portion being of greater diameter than the surface References Cited of said member. UNITED TA PA 3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tapered S TES TENTS pa -{ion is disposed in the region of 0116 Of said reversing 1277933 9/1918 24218 Portions of said traverse mu 5 ,0 5 7/1962 0 Bren 4. A t f t 1 1 d' a f axially sg if lfg ay 1 mg m STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner. 

